This week’s “Daily Journal” guest columnist is Terry Stoops, Education Policy Analyst for the John Locke Foundation.

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines an acronym as “a word formed from the initial letters of other words, e.g., radar, laser.” Acronyms are indispensable rhetorical tools because they allow us to communicate efficiently without jeopardizing our message.

For example, very little is lost when I say, “I went scuba diving at 1 p.m.,” rather than, “I went diving with a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus at 1 post meridiem.” The second sentence may contain more information, but that information does not make or break my message. OK, so far?

On the other hand, when we use acronyms that are not as familiar as “scuba” and “p.m.,” we invite confusion. And nothing produces more confusion (and acronyms) than government. Look no further than the eight-page list of Oregon state government acronyms compiled by the OHCS SAS, an acronym that someone forgot to include on the list.

Not to be outdone, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) boasts a list of nearly 425 acronyms commonly used in special education alone. The Oregon ODE advises parents to review the list “before a meeting so you can unravel the code.” They should stick to education and leave code-breaking to Tom Hanks. LOL.

Closer to home, visitors to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) can download a modest list of 35 commonly used acronyms. Nevertheless, education officials at NCDPI, as well as members of the State Board of Education (SBE), rely on countless other acronyms that are not on the list. The most commonly used acronyms are in the areas of state testing (ABCs), English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, and the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements.

To truly appreciate these acronyms, a list is insufficient. Therefore, I have gone through the trouble of using them in their proper context.

The ABC Accountability Model

Under the ABC Accountability Model, NCDPI administers a number of tests designed to measure student performance. The most common are End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) tests. Unfortunately, NCDPI no longer uses standardized, nationally normed tests like the California Achievement Test, 5th Edition (CAT5), the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), or the Stanford Achievement Test 9 (SAT9), which better assess grade-level proficiency. They also phased out the North Carolina High School Comprehensive Test (NCHSCT).

For selected students with a current Individualized Education Program (IEP), NCDPI administers the North Carolina Checklist of Academic Standards (NCCLAS), NCEXTEND1, and NCEXTEND2 assessments. Occupational Course of Study (OCS) students with an IEP may take the NCEXTEND2 OCS exam.

Selected Limited English Proficient (LEP) students may be assessed using the NCCLAS. NCDPI provides students with severe disabilities the option of taking the North Carolina Alternative Assessment Academic Inventory (NCAAI) and the North Carolina Alternative Assessment Portfolio (NCAAP).

Translation: There is a test for everyone, but it is probably not the right one.

English as a Second Language (ESL)

If the Home Language Survey (HLS) determines that a student is a National Origin Minority (NOM), he or she must take the IPT (Individual Developmental English Activities Proficiency Test) exam as required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

Students who do not earn a Superior score on all four subsets of the IPT are identified as Limited English Proficient (LEP), also known as English Language Learners (ELL). These students typically enroll in English as a Second Language (ESL) or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses. According to the NCDPI website:

“LEP identification is determined solely by the IPT score, but ESL services are determined by many other factors. Because of that, some LEP students may not receive ESL services, but they must still get IPT tested each spring until scoring Superior in all domains.”

The goal of ESL instruction is to use the English Language Development Standard Course of Study (ELD SCS) to develop Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP).

Translation: If your first language is not English, it will take you years to understand North Carolina’s ESL program. If your first language is English, it will take you years to understand North Carolina’s ESL program.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), commonly known as NCLB, empowers the United States Department of Education (USED) to allocate Title I funds to State Education Agencies (SEAs) like the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI).

NCDPI then distributes funds to Local Education Agencies (LEAs). LEAs apportion Title I funds for Targeted Assistance Programs (TAPs) in schools that have a high percentage of students eligible for a Free and Reduced Lunch (F&R). Although Title I is the largest NCLB grant, NCLB also subsidizes Advanced Placement (AP) fees, English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, and school reform efforts. NCLB does not include Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds for Students with Disabilities (SWD).

NCLB mandates that all schools, Title I or otherwise, must report and make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). In order for a school to make AYP, subgroups (F&R, LEP, SWD, etc., all enrolled for a full academic year (FAY)) must meet three types of targets. They include participation rates, predetermined Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) on EOG and EOC tests, and Other Academic Indicators (OAIs) like attendance or cohort graduation rate.

LEP students have additional Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) for determining AYP. NCLB also requires all states to participate in National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) testing administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB).

Title I schools that do not make AYP in reading or math in consecutive years must offer school choice and implement a School Improvement Plan (SIP). After three or more consecutive years, schools must add Supplemental Education Services (SES), and after four years, Corrective Action (CA) is included. Of course, Local Education Agency Assistance Program (LEAAP) personnel assist LEAs in this process.

Translation: Acronyms are an unfunded mandate.

Any questions?